George Zimmerman may sue NBC over edited tape

George Zimmerman may sue NBC over edited tape

George Zimmerman takes the stand during his bond hearing for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on Apr. 20, 2012. He has since entered a plea of not guilty.

George Zimmerman, the man accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, is considering a defamation lawsuit against NBC for selectively editing a police phone call to make him "appear he is a racist".

Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday that NBC's edited version of his client's 911 call was "outrageous."

"NBC intentionally edited George Zimmerman’s non-emergency call to make it appear he is a racist, then they repeatedly broadcast that edited tape to the nation," O'Mara said.

"Due in large part to NBC's actions, George has had to live in hiding, in fear for his life."

The audio was aired on the "Today" show on March 27th and also on an NBC-owned affiliate, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person on the night he shot Trayvon Martin.

NBC was heavily criticized for editing the call, which aired on NBC as follows:

Zimmerman: "This guy looks like he's up to no good ... He looks black."

However, the original recording ran:

Zimmerman: "This guy looks like he's up to no good. Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining, and he's just walking around, looking about."
Dispatcher: "OK, and this guy – is he black, white or Hispanic?"
Zimmerman: "He looks black."

Commentators said the edit had made Zimmerman sound racist.

According to Fox News, three employees of NBC or the NBC-owned station lost their jobs because of the editing changes.